Designing residential interior spaces is a ‘multi dimensional process’…as designers we need to completely align our sensibilities with our clients intent for the project…understand their hopes & aspirations for their ‘dream home’.
We therefore adopt an absolutely open minded approach.. sort of ‘starting on a clean slate’… try to be ‘all ears in listening to’ absorbing to the maximum before ‘hitting the drawing board’… we follow a thoroughly interactive process during design development with total transparency as we want our clients to take ‘well rounded & well informed decisions’… it is always a ‘design partnership’ with our clients as we help them transform their dreams in to reality, each project thus being distinctly different from the other.
We have been involved as design consultants for interiors of bungalows, small & large residential apartment premises. Each project has been a thoroughly enjoyable & gratifying experience whereby our clients have become our friends for life.
A very tastefully done up Bungalow interiors, spread over three levels in a bungalow precinct. The semi -private zone ( Living , dining, kitchen, puja & single bedroom areas) at ground floor, the Private zone ( Chidren’s bedrm, Guest bedrm, family lounge areas) at the 1st floor & the ‘fitness & entertainment zone’ ( Master bedrm with gymnasium & open landscaped terrace) at the 2nd floor. Our client, a believer in ‘zen’ & ‘the principles of vaastu’ also had a passion for travel. This pretty much set up the parameters of design for us. We thus tried to exercise ‘practised control’ to ring in a ‘sense of quietitude’ using intrinsically rich textures, finishes with imaginative lighting….neither too minimalistic nor too opulent.
Our client was a turnkey interior contractor with a multitude of tastes & a zest for life. The bungalow was a ground and one floor edifice with a largish landscaped courtyard in the centre and all rooms opening on to it. The ground floor housed the semi private zone (Living, dining, kitchen , guest bed & court) & the upper level had the Private zone ( family room, masterbed & childrens bed).We tried our best to collaborate with him using a varied palette of materials like mirror panelling, glass blocks, veneer, wall finishes etc. towards making all spaces interesting enough for him & his family to live in & fall in love with!
…a wonderful opportunity to ‘ design from scratch’…all walls were knocked down…open kitchen factored…central small squarish lobby worked out as a multifunctional well lit space having a discreet glass hand wash basin & an open shelf library…living & dining room thought of as place for entertainment, relaxation & socialising with a sizeable discreet work corner with foldable work tables that can be tucked in, to retain the ‘largesee of space’ during functions & parties…master & childrens bed rooms as ‘self sufficient entities’ with a space for most if not all perceived functions …use of vibrant colours & textures against a largishly sedate backdrop, imaginative lighting (ambient, task & reflected) for all the rooms & spaces…sizeable balcony spaces for the living & master bed rooms as buffer & relaxation spaces with a lot of green thrown in….We could do it all here!!...and that too within the decided parameters of cost & time….an ideal project in this genre.
The living & kitchen areas were completely redone whereas the Bed rooms were frugally touched upon using the existing furniture, as per the design brief. A robust & tactile design was explored in terms of panelling (shapes & forms), false ceiling, lighting & colour palette lending an ‘ever fresh aesthetic’ to all the spaces.. ‘the display intent’ takes the front seat & rightfully so as spelt out by our client…a travel enthusiast by virtue of his work & by choice too.
“Give me a neat uncluttered space with a youthful appeal for the living room..& I want the rest as absolutely functional…” was the single line brief given to us by our client, a well known & well respected professional from the Marathi Theatre & Television industry…We opened up the kitchen.. did away with ‘the conventional lobby space’ leading to the bed rooms by amalgamating this space with the living room…making it multifunctional too by appointing a smallish dining area…a 3seater sofa with the dining chairs address the seating requirement…a trophy display designed all along an intermediate mirror faced beam keeps it visible but discreet…the overall aesthetic uses a rich combination of colours & materials that are 'aligned' & 'contrast as well' to make the space look fresh & young at all times… with a 'black box' T.V. unit modelled on ‘the film theme’ as the sole attention seeker.
This project was for a middle-aged couple, both well established professionals holding top positions in European MNC’s and their teenaged sons pursuing studies. The residential premises was a ‘jodi flat’ (in Mumbai real estate parlance) a 2BHK & a 1.5BHK flat to be converted in to a single family unit, placed in a prestigious tower overlooking expansive mangroves.
“This is a dream location & we want you to design a ‘dream house space’ for us…” was the design brief. A lovely sizeable & impressive entrance lobby with a ‘quasi- traditional’& green appeal to welcome one & all…a large living cum dining space with an expansive display cum T.V. unit, besides a well planned seating & dedicated dining space… a quiet & serene puja room for solitude, meditation & rejuvination…. A minimalist well equipped kitchen designed on ultra modern lines…a children’s bed room with a thematic young appeal.. a parents bed room with Indian traditional look…and the expansive master bed room with a rich plethora of treatments thrown in having a minimalist-traditional-opulent appeal…
The overall aesthetic is a mix that decidedly borrows Indian traditional elements ( wood finished joists, decorative wood jalis) interspersed with contemporary materials & lighting to have a continnual feel of ‘controlled indulgence’ lending a rare rich ‘ here to stay’ quality to each & every space.